Old
Dogs & New Tricks: The Complete First & Second Season
(2011/Wolfe
DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: B Episodes: B
Leon
Acord's Old
Dogs & New Tricks - Seasons 1 and 2,
which has been released by Wolfe Video is one of the better gay web
series to be created in 2011 that is not only geared toward 20-30
somethings but transcends to all demographics gay and straight
(women), as a guilty pleasure type soap for the new media. This web
series has (of course) been compared to major network shows Queer
as Folk
(both versions), Sex
and the City
and even The
Golden Girls.
The storyline revolves around four archetype aging gay men still
trying to live out their youth as they turn 50 (and already post 50
for a couple of them), except this time they're men living in one of
the most youth conscious places on the planet, West Hollywood! (WEHO
to be exact).
Rounding
out the four male leads are Series Creator & Writer Leon Acord
who also stars as Hollywood Agent Nathan Adler, the shows protagonist
and a semi-successful Hollywood agent who is trying to age
gracefully, but still yearns for his wild sex days in his 20s (where
this is put to the test when one of his hot young 20 something
clients tries to seduce him). Jeffrey Patrick Olsen as Al "Muscles"
Carter an attractive muscular personal trainer at a Weho gym who is
desperately trying to stay young and despite being a flirt doesn't
have casual sex but is looking for Mr. Right (which he thinks he has
found except for one important issue on "positions"). Curt
Bonnem plays Brad King, a former punk rocker (read Billy Idol clone)
with a fake British accent who is still living off his one hit in the
'80s, he is addicted to internet hookups where he went from wall
flower to hot bloke (even though he's Midwestern) thanks to his
endowment! And David Pevsner is Ross Stein, a client of Nathan's and
former TV star in the 1990s, who's in a platonic marriage where his
husband is never home and they started an agreement about casual
hookups that brings out his neurosis.
The
series also benefits from some familiar guest stars such as Olympian
Greg Louganis and soap stars Ian Buchanan (General
Hospital),
Terri Garber (Dynasty,
As The
World Turns)
& Thom Bierdz (The
Young & The Restless)
who's role is more recurring than the others and his character would
of made a good fifth lead! Some noteworthy recurring characters are
Amanda Abel as Lydia Lasker, Nathan's loyal girl friday (aka Carol,
Bob
Newhart Show)
who moonlights as a cabaret singer, Bruce L. Hart as Nelson Van Eddy,
a Perez Hilton-like villain who is Nathan's nemesis and Ryland
Shelton as Damian Johns, Nathan's hot young client who proves to be
more complex than just a fling! The series is savvy, witty, edgy and
addicting to watch, just that the episodes seem too short but will
hopefully get longer in the coming seasons. This portrayal of guys in
Weho is only a small segment of the community and doesn't represent
some of the closeted Hollywood actors out there, which I hope they
will address in the coming season!.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 picture quality is quite good with
scenes around LA/Hollywood as the backdrop and seems equivalent to a
lot of films. The lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound is also
good overall. The DVD extras includes Behind The Scenes featurette,
interviews with actors, Gag Reel and 5.1 surround sound. The extras
give us some good interviews with the cast and are above average for
a Web Series!
-
Howard Saul
